Tens of thousands of people are expected at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, 1 November, for an opposition rally demanding electoral reforms and the resignation of India's chief election commissioner. Congress, which organised the gathering, says attendance could reach a million. Proceedings are scheduled to begin around noon.
The protest centres on the Special Intensive Revision, a voter-list review that has removed 130 million names from draft electoral rolls across India. The Election Commission of India says it is updating the lists by removing people who have died or no longer live at their registered addresses. Opposition parties allege eligible voters could be excluded in ways that favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. Both the BJP and the commission deny accusations of electoral theft.
Scrutiny increased in September after an Indian Express investigation reported that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had taken important decisions on the revision without agreement from the other two election commissioners. According to the report, those commissioners had objected on more than a dozen occasions. The commission responded that differing views were normal within institutions and did not impair its work.
Several senior figures from the Congress-led INDIA alliance have said they will join Sunday's rally. The influential Gen Z-led pressure group Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, has also offered its support, although attendance by its senior leaders remains uncertain. Opposition parties, student groups and the CJP have held protests in Delhi and other cities over the revision.
In October, Congress MP and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi led tens of thousands of demonstrators from Connaught Place to the Supreme Court to demand Kumar's resignation. Ahead of Sunday's gathering, Gandhi described the protest as resistance to "the demolition of Indian democracy" and invited participation from political and non-political groups. He said people were angry and distressed over disenfranchisement, presenting the campaign as a defence of the Constitution and voting rights.
Delhi police have authorised the rally with conditions. Media reports say it must finish by 5pm, surveillance cameras must be installed and participants cannot march beyond the designated venue. Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed throughout the capital, including on roads approaching Ramlila Maidan.
The event has divided traders in nearby Chandni Chowk, one of Delhi's oldest and busiest markets. One group warned earlier in the week that the protest could damage festive business a week before Diwali. Another backed Gandhi's rally and said a BJP march through the market on Thursday had caused greater disruption to seasonal trade.
Opposition leaders accuse the government of trying to prevent supporters from reaching Delhi. Gandhi has urged large numbers to attend, telling people on X not to fear police or batons. The appeal follows concerns about how recent demonstrations in the capital have been policed.
On 10 October, authorities deployed thousands of security personnel and closed large sections of Delhi to prevent CJP protests against Kumar. All of the group's top leaders were detained, while many demonstrators were beaten and dragged through the streets as police dispersed the protests. BBC reporters witnessed officers dragging protesters away and striking some with batons.
